On June 26 the Diplomatic School hosted members of The Olive Tree Initiative, which is a university-based organization in the United States, with a mission to promote conflict analysis and resolution through academic preparation, experimental education and leadership development. A part of the initiative is studying regional conflicts by traveling to the region focusing mainly on the conflicts in the Middle East and Caucasus. Majoring in  different fields of study at universities of California, the students had also different backgrounds: Armenian, Turkish, Kurdish among others.

At the beginning of the meeting the Director of the Diplomatic School Ambassador Vahe Gabrielyan briefed the visitors on the mission of the  School and the specifics of its training program. Dr. Arsen Avagyan, Head of the Neighbouring Countries Department of Armenia’s Foreign Ministry talked about Armenia-Turkey relations in the past and in their current status. An array of questions followed: mostly about Armenia-Turkey relations, the Armenian Genocide and Armenia’s relations with its neigbours. The students had already visited Turkey and Georgia on this trip.